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Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to examine the incidence and age-related prevalence of eye conditions among school-age children living in Moscow Region (Russian Federation) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
Methods: The study sample includes 573 visually impaired children aged 7-17 years (13.85±1.24 years) in Russian Federation and 600 children (13.78±1.11 years) in Saudi Arabia.
Results: Myopia in Russian Federation was with a prevalence rate of 35.6%, followed by astigmatism (21.3%), strabismus (16.2%), conjunctivitis (13.6%), hyperopia (10%). The incidence of visual impairment was lower for children from Saudi Arabia compared to Russian Federation (OR=1.01, 95% CI [0.85-1.17] in 2018, OR=0.93, 95% CI [0.83-1.03] in 2022 in Saudi Arabia and OR=1.36, 95% CI [1.25-1.47] in 2018 vs. OR=1.33, 95% CI [1.23-1.43] in 2022 in Russian Federation). In Saudi Arabia, myopia occurred in 10% of cases at 7-10 years, 20% at 11-13 years, and 25% at 14-17 years.
Conclusion: The satisfactory state of the health system in Saudi Arabia compared with Russian Federation has resulted in a lower incidence of visual diseases among children. The possible causes of the myopia prevalence are worse medical system in the Russian Federation compared to Saudi Arabia, and climate in both countries.
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Original Article
ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 20, Issue 5, October 2023, Article No: em504
https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/13264
Publication date: 01 Sep 2023
Online publication date: 13 May 2023
Article Views: 1218
Article Downloads: 999
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